Automatic line-retrieving device



Dec. 12, 1961 w, B s 3,012,736

AUTOMATIC LINE-RETRIEVING DEVICE Filed March 7, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 22I I I 26 I l LOUIS w. BRUST INVENTOR. so 2m 2 Dec. 12, 1961 w. BRUSTAUTOMATIC LINE-RETRIEVING DEVICE.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 7, 1960 Louis" w BRUST INVENTOR.

United States Patent Gififice 3,012,736 Patented Dec. 12, 1961 3,012,736AUTOMATHC LINE RETRIEVING DEVICE Louis W. Ernst, 3315 SE. 58th Ave.,Portland, Greg. Filed Mar. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 13,260 2 Claims. (Cl.242-1675) This invention relates to improvements in line-recoilingdevices and more particularly to a device of this character which isespecially, though not restrictively, adapted for use on water craft,such as cruisers, runabouts, speed boats and the like wherein relativelylight-weight mooring lines are utilized.

It is one of the principal objects of the invention to provide aline-recoiling device which is of simple, compact, eflicient, durableconstruction, pleasing in appearance, positive, foolproof, and entirelyautomatic in linerecoiling operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide mean in a device of thecharacter described for removing water from a wet line during itsrecoiling entry into the housing of the device and to provideventilating means in the housing for further drying the recoiled line.

A still further object is the provision of simple, efficient andeffective means for varying the tension on a reel-actuating spring.

A still further object is the provision of a keeper at the free end ofthe line for automatically varying the size of the loop at the end ofthe line when the line is in tension, and also to prevent the looped endof the line from being pulled to the interior of the housing by anyresidual spring tension on the reel at the end of the line-recoilingoperation.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and inwhich:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a line recoil device made inaccordance with my invention and shown applied to the fore peak of aboat.

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the device on an enlarged scale.

FIGURE 2A is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the line2A2A of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view with the top half of the housing of thedevice removed and with fragments broken away to reveal internal andunderlying parts.

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view on an enlarged scale with partsbroken away and parts in section for convenience of illustration.

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of the device secured to theunderside of a deck and associated with a pulley extending through thedeck and aligned with a cleat secured to the topside of the deck.

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of a cover for the pulley shown in FIGURE 5,and FIGURE 7 is a bottom view thereof.

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken approximatelyalong the line 88 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 9 is anelevational view of the device in a vertical position andillustrating the fact that it can be secured inboard or outboard tothetransom of a boat or to a bulkhead or similarsupporting surface .withinthe boat.

FIGURE 10 is a plan view of a keeper secured to one leg of a looped endof a line and loosely embracing the other leg thereof whereby the loopedend may function in the manner of a slip knot.

FIGURE 11 is an end view of FIGURE 10 on an enlarged scale, and

FIGURE 12 is a sectional view taken along the line 12-12 of FIGURE 11.

With continuing reference to the drawings, wherein like referencecharacters designate like parts, and particularly FIGURES 1 to 4thereof, reference numeral 1 indicates generally the main housing of thedevice comprising top and bottom circular sections 2 and 3circumferentially interengaged as at 4 and externally coupled as at 5.The bottom section 3 is provided with feet 6 secured thereto as at 7 andprovided with lag screws, bolts or the like, indicated at 8, forsecuring the device to a boat deck such as indicated at 9 in FIGURE 1,or to any other suitable supporting surface. The vertical wall portionof the bottom section 3 is provided with an upwardly opening recess 10matching a downwardly opening recess 11 in the corresponding wall of thetop section to provide an elongated opening 14, as shown. This openingis provided with a frame 13 secured by a peripheral channel 15 to themarginal edges of the recesses. The inner periphery of the frame 13 isalso channeled as at 16 into which is secured two sections of sheetrubber 17 and 18 for a purpose to be more fully hereinafter described.

The center of the top and bottom walls 20 and 21, respectively, of thetop and bottom sections are provided respectively with aligned openings20A and 21A, the latter of which is of square formation as shown. Ashaft 22 extends upwardly through the top wall opening 20A, and theextended portion thereof is externally'threaded a at 24 and providedwith a cap nut 25. This end of the shaft is also slotted as at 26. Thebottom end of the shaft 22 is reduced in diameter as at 26 to provide ashoulder 27, and the outermost end of the shaft is of square formationas at 28 where it extends through the square opening 21A. A compressionspring 30 is coiled about the reduced diameter of the shaft 22 with oneof its ends bearing against the shoulder 27 and its opposite end bearingagainst the bottom wall of the bottom section 3. By this arrangement theshaft is normally locked against rotation relative to the main housing.

Coiled about the shaft 22 is a wind-up spring 35 whose inner end 36 isattached to the shaft by insertion within a slot 37 extending throughthe shaft and whose outer end is secured to the inner wall of a reel 38by looped engagement with a slotted bracket 40 secured to the reel. Asclearly shown in FIGURE 4 the slot 37 is of greater length than thewidth of the end of the spring engaged therein to thereby permit ofvertical movement of the shaft 22 relative to that end of the spring andto the top and bottom walls 20 and 21 of the reel housing. The reel isrotatable about the shaft 22, and during such rotation in a clockwisedirection, as viewed in FIGURE 3, will wind up the spring against thereaction of the securement of its inner end 36 to the shaft 22, whilethe shaft is held in a fixed position by the engagement of its squaredend 28 with the square opening 21A in the bottom wall 21 of the bottomsection 3 of the housing.

For rotating the shaft 22 relative to the reel to vary spring tension,it is merely necessary to remove the cap nut 25 from the shaft, thendepress the shaft to disengage its squared end from the opening 21A tothereby position the reduced, round end portion 26'within the opening21A which will permit the shaft to be rotated by ascrew driver or a coininserted in the slot 26. When the desired.

tension is obtained and upon release of the winding tool from the slot26, the coil spring 30 will restore the shaft to its original lockedposition, as shown.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that a line 41 (FIGURES 1 and2A) secured to the reel 38 and payed out therefrom will be in tension atall times, so that upon disengagement of the looped end 45 from a cleat46, or from any other point of attachment, the line will be recoiledwithin the main housing 1 by the spring-rotated reel. The line in beingpayed out from the main housing or recoiled to the interior of thehousing passes between the abutting edges of the rubber sections 17 and18 of the opening 14 and these sections operate rather effectively inthe manner of a squeegee in removing water from a wet line beingrecoiled. For thoroughly drying the line when housed within the mainhousing, I provide the flanges 47 of the reel 38 with ventilatingOpenings 50 and the wall 21 of the bottom section 3 with similaropenings 51.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURE 5, the main housing1A is secured in an inverted position to the underside of a deck 9A byits legs 6A. The line 41A is entrained over a pulley 55 rotatablysuspended through an opening 56 in the deck by parallel brackets 57integrated with, and extending downwardly from, a cover 60 secured bysuitable fasteners 61 to the top side of the deck. The free looped end45A of the line is adapted for engagement with a cleat 64 secured to thedeck in the conventional manner. Upon disengagement from the cleat, theline may be payed out from the reel (not shown in FIGURE within thehousing 1A to any remote point of attachment and then made fast to thecleat, so that any stresses on the line beyond the cleat will beabsorbed by the cleat and not by the attachment of the main housing 1Ato the deck.

In FIGURE 9, the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURE 1 isillustrated as being secured by its legs 6B to a transom 66, bulkhead orany other suitable vertical surface within the boat hull and with thelooped end 45A of the line attached to a cleat 46A also secured to thetransom or the like above the main housing 1B.

As best illustrated in FIGURES -12, one leg 70 of the loop 45 at the endof the line is secured by a clamping plate 71 and locking screw 72 tothe interior of a bore 73 extending lengthwise through one side of akeeper 74, and the opposite leg 76 of the loop slidably extends througha matching bore 77 extending lengthwise through the opposite side of thekeeper. By this arrangement the looped end of the line functions in themanner of a slipknot at any time tension on the line reacts against anypoint of attachment of the loop. The dimensions of the length, width andthickness of the keeper 74 are greater than those of the framed opening14 in the main housing 1A, and the keeper thus effectively prevents thelooped end of the line from being pulled to the interior of the housingby any residual spring tension on the reel 38 at the end of its recoiloperation.

While I have shown particular forms of embodiment of my invention, I amaware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves toothers skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Having thus described my invention what I claim as newand desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A line-recoiling device comprising a reel housing consisting of acircular top section and a circular bottom section, each sectioncomprising a flat circular wall integrated with a peripheral wall, meansprovided in one of said peripheral walls cooperating with means in theother peripheral wall for interengaging said sections in concentricrelation to each other, means carried by the bottom section for mountingthe united section on a support flat'wise in elevated relation thereto,said flat circular walls having aligned openings therethrough, a shaftextending through said openings and having a tool receiving recess inone of its ends and an elongated slot intermediate its ends, a reeldisposed within said housing and rotatably mounted about said shaft, acoil spring secured at one of its ends to said reel and verticallyslidably attached at its opposite end within said slot in said shaft,one of said aligned openings being of non-circular formation, thecorresponding end of said shaft being of non-circular formation andnormally in engagement with said noncircular opening to prevent rotationof the shaft, spring means engaging said shaft and said fiat circularwall of said bottom section for maintaining said normal engagement, saidshaft being slidable relative to said openings and to said one end ofsaid coil spring whereby to permit of disengagement of said squared endfrom said non-circular opening to permit tool operated rotation of theshaft to vary the tension on said coil spring, said peripheral walls ofthe housing having matched openings therein for the passage therethroughof a line coiled about and payed out from said reel, and whereby payingout of the line under tension will wind said coil spring to recoil theline upon release of tension.

2. A line-recoiling device comprising a reel housing consisting of acircular top section and a circular bottom section, each sectioncomprising a fiat circular wall integrated with a peripheral wall, meansprovided in one of said peripheral walls cooperating with means in theother peripheral wall for interengaging said sections in concentricrelation to each other, the fiat circular wall of one of said sectionshaving ventilating openings therein, means carried by the bottom sectionfor mounting the united sections on a support fiatwisc in elevatedrelation thereto, said flat circular walls having aligned openingstherethrough, a shaft extending through said openings and having a toolreceiving recess in one of its ends and an elongated slot intermediateits ends, a reel having side flanges disposed within said housing androtatably mounted about said shaft, one of said reel flanges havingventilating openings therein, a coil spring secured at one of its endsto said reel and vertically slidably attached at its opposite end withinsaid slot in said shaft, one of said aligned openings being ofnon-circular formation, the corresponding end of said shaft being ofnon-circular formation and normally in engagement with said non-circularopening to prevent rotation of the shaft, spring means engaging saidshaft and said flat circular wall of said bottom section for maintainingsaid normal engagement, said shaft being slidable relative to saidopenings and to said one end of said coil spring whereby to permit ofdisengagement of said squared end from said non-circular opening topermit tool operated rotation of the shaft to vary the tension on saidcoil spring, said peripheral walls of the housing having matchedopenings therein for the passage therethrough of a line coiled about andpayed out from said reel, and whereby paying out of the line undertension will wind said coil spring to recoil the line upon release oftension, and whereby the ventilation of the interior of the reel housingby means of said ventilating openings will dry :1 wet line so recoiled.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS913,799 Zund-Burguet Mar. 2, 1909 1,679,178 Shillman July 31, 19282,159,223 Okun May 23, 1939 2,172,907 Humphrey Sept. 12, 1939 2,249,114Cotfrnan July 15, 1941 2,391,141 Dour et al Dec. 18, 1945 2,572,856Hallberg Oct. 30, 1951 2,602,605 Shilling July 8, 1952 2,808,632 ClineOct. 8, 1957

